Local History

A History of the Collingswood Public Library

On Monday, January 11, 1911 the Collingswood Public Library opened. It was located at the new store building of N.B.T. Roney’s, 725 Haddon Ave., Collingswood. Originally, membership was by paid subscription. A West Collingswood Branch of the Collingswood Public Library was opened on Saturday, February 20, 1913 in the office building of G. Franklin Davis, on the corner of Collings and Richey Avenues. It opened with a collection of 400 books.

On December 15, 1917 the Carnegie funded library building opened on the present site at 771 Haddon Avenue, at the corner of Haddon and Frazer Avenues. Only the site had to be purchased by the Borough Commissioners.

The present Collingswood Public Library building was opened on June 7, 1975.

The Retrospect
Currently the Collingswood Library has searchable, digitized copies of the local newspaper the Retrospect from the year 1902 until 2003.
If you would like to look through any of The Retrospect issues from these years, please contact the reference department at 856-858-0649 or by email.

Collingswood Public Library Photostream on Flickr
A collection of images from the Collingswood Public Library’s New Jersey Collection, along with donations from area volunteers, donors, and historians. Please add comments or tags if you know more about the image than we’ve provided in its description.

Brief History of Collingswood
This passage, presented by the Collingswood website, offers a glimpse into the town as it matured east of the Delaware River. It provides insight into the first settlers of the town, the town’s early formation and struggles, and notes some of the town’s founding fathers and families.

Camden County Cultural and Heritage Commission
Camden County College presents this website and uses it to to “recognize the role the arts, and local history [have] in making our communities dynamic places to live and work.” The commission goes on to list their central beliefs and purposes, as well as events, programs, locations, and social media links.

Camden County Historical Society
This links to the Camden County Historical Society’s official website, and provides users with in-depth information about everything from the founding of the Camden County Historical Society (1899) to programs and tours that they host. They also provide access to extensive historical archives.

Collings-Knight House
The Collings-Knight House is a historical site located on the corner of Collings Avenue and Browning Road. It was built in 1824 by Edward Zane Collings for himself and his widowed sister on farmland that had been passed down within their family since 1682. It is now on the New Jersey Register, as well as the National Register of Historic Places. The website details the building, history, and preservation of the house, as well as future plans for the house and volunteer information.

Collingswood, New Jersey
The official Wikipedia page for Collingswood NJ! Provides detailed statistics and historical information. It also provides a look at the town’s government, politics, education, and community life.

Collingswood, NJ Images
A great page to go to if you are looking for images of historical Collingswood. Provides both color and black-and-white photos of various places around Collingswood, as well as past events like the Flag Raising on Labor Day 1906.